http://wandermelon.com Updates and insights on the world's best experiences. Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:17:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/15/aspen-irresistible-during-spring-and-summer/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/15/aspen-irresistible-during-spring-and-summer/#comments Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:16:05 +0000 Victor Alsobrook and Mary Allen http://wandermelon.com/?p=22846
From fly fishing to wine tasting, Aspen reveals its sunny side during the warmer months. Wading up to my waist in Aspen’s Roaring Fork River, the current keeps my core and lower body working. It’s early May and prime fly fishing season, the forerunner to summer when white water rafting takes over as the river’s most popular past-time. Just upstream, my fiancé Mary receives expert tips from our guide, Karl Page, an Aspen guide extraordinaire who...]]>
From fly fishing to wine tasting, Aspen reveals its sunny side during the warmer months. Wading up to my waist in Aspen’s Roaring Fork River, the current keeps my core and lower body working. It’s early May and prime fly fishing season, the forerunner to summer when white water rafting takes over as the river’s most popular past-time. Just upstream, my fiancé Mary receives expert tips from our guide, Karl Page, an Aspen guide extraordinaire who...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/15/aspen-irresistible-during-spring-and-summer/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/08/south-australia-from-adelaide-to-the-barossa/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/08/south-australia-from-adelaide-to-the-barossa/#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:31:10 +0000 Kate Ayrton http://wandermelon.com/?p=22539
Sydney-sider Kate Ayrton heads south to discover the culinary delights and natural wonders of SA. South Australia is like the redheaded stepchild of Australia – often overlooked because of her more popular sister states, New South Wales and Victoria – but in fact the one with more personality, style and substance. From the coast to the desert, through farmland, bushland, wine country, and along the mighty Murray River – there is an abundance of flora, fauna,...]]>
Sydney-sider Kate Ayrton heads south to discover the culinary delights and natural wonders of SA. South Australia is like the redheaded stepchild of Australia – often overlooked because of her more popular sister states, New South Wales and Victoria – but in fact the one with more personality, style and substance. From the coast to the desert, through farmland, bushland, wine country, and along the mighty Murray River – there is an abundance of flora, fauna,...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/08/south-australia-from-adelaide-to-the-barossa/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/07/kenya-where-the-wild-things-were/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/07/kenya-where-the-wild-things-were/#comments Fri, 07 Jun 2013 23:22:26 +0000 Suzan Crane http://wandermelon.com/?p=22661
As Kenya's poaching crisis reaches a critical stage, Suzan Crane shares how "Richard's Camp" and the "Mara Elephant Project" are saving elephants. If an African safari is on your bucket list, you may want to move it up a notch if you hope to see exotic wildlife in all its endemic glory. With rhinos and elephants still recovering from the last wildlife holocaust three decades ago, the twin scourge of illegal poaching and escalating human-animal conflict...]]>
As Kenya's poaching crisis reaches a critical stage, Suzan Crane shares how "Richard's Camp" and the "Mara Elephant Project" are saving elephants. If an African safari is on your bucket list, you may want to move it up a notch if you hope to see exotic wildlife in all its endemic glory. With rhinos and elephants still recovering from the last wildlife holocaust three decades ago, the twin scourge of illegal poaching and escalating human-animal conflict...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/07/kenya-where-the-wild-things-were/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/07/bottlerock-festival-napa-valley/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/07/bottlerock-festival-napa-valley/#comments Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:58:15 +0000 Kinga Philipps http://wandermelon.com/?p=22571
Launching a new music festival certainly isn’t inventing or even reinventing the wheel these days, but if you can add a few unique tweaks to the standard offerings, Kinga Philipps thinks it might just catch on. Enter BottleRock. Inaugural year: 2013. Location: Napa Valley, California. First and foremost, a good lineup is a must or else you’re letting kids swing at an empty piñata. Held May 9 -12, BottleRock brought out the quality candy with a...]]>
Launching a new music festival certainly isn’t inventing or even reinventing the wheel these days, but if you can add a few unique tweaks to the standard offerings, Kinga Philipps thinks it might just catch on. Enter BottleRock. Inaugural year: 2013. Location: Napa Valley, California. First and foremost, a good lineup is a must or else you’re letting kids swing at an empty piñata. Held May 9 -12, BottleRock brought out the quality candy with a...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/06/07/bottlerock-festival-napa-valley/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/20/summer-read-a-former-flight-attendants-love-me-anyway-chronicles-life-at-35000-feet/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/20/summer-read-a-former-flight-attendants-love-me-anyway-chronicles-life-at-35000-feet/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 19:25:25 +0000 Tiffany Hawk http://wandermelon.com/?p=22512
Journalist, writer and former flight attendant Tiffany Hawk's debut novel, "Love Me Anyway," details the true price of a free ticket to Honolulu. When I tell people I spent five years as a flight attendant, they often ask if I still get free flights to dreamy vacation destinations like Hawaii or Grand Cayman. Unfortunately not. What these folks don’t realize, though, is that holidays in Honolulu weren’t the best part of the job. Sure the flight...]]>
Journalist, writer and former flight attendant Tiffany Hawk's debut novel, "Love Me Anyway," details the true price of a free ticket to Honolulu. When I tell people I spent five years as a flight attendant, they often ask if I still get free flights to dreamy vacation destinations like Hawaii or Grand Cayman. Unfortunately not. What these folks don’t realize, though, is that holidays in Honolulu weren’t the best part of the job. Sure the flight...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/20/summer-read-a-former-flight-attendants-love-me-anyway-chronicles-life-at-35000-feet/feed/ 4 http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/17/photo-of-the-week-big-sur-2/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/17/photo-of-the-week-big-sur-2/#comments Fri, 17 May 2013 23:24:49 +0000 Terena Thyne Eisner http://wandermelon.com/?p=22494
The days are getting longer and in California that means travelers are heading outdoors. This image was captured before crossing Bixby Bridge, a single-span concrete arch perched 260 feet above the ocean.  For the ultimate California road trip, take a drive through Big Sur with a stop at Andrew Molera State Park. This stretch of the Big Sur River is only accessible by foot and the park is also filled with soaring redwood forests and...]]>
The days are getting longer and in California that means travelers are heading outdoors. This image was captured before crossing Bixby Bridge, a single-span concrete arch perched 260 feet above the ocean.  For the ultimate California road trip, take a drive through Big Sur with a stop at Andrew Molera State Park. This stretch of the Big Sur River is only accessible by foot and the park is also filled with soaring redwood forests and...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/17/photo-of-the-week-big-sur-2/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/05/a-taste-of-orange-regional-food-and-wine-trails-in-australia/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/05/a-taste-of-orange-regional-food-and-wine-trails-in-australia/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000 Jane Adams http://wandermelon.com/?p=22404
Jane Adams shares the inside track on some of her favorite regional food and wine trails in NSW. It’s a curious food fact but the regional New South Wales city of Orange is actually famous for its apples – and a vibrant food and wine culture that culminates every year in F.O.O.D Week (aka Food of Orange District). So bounteous is the Orange regional harvest that F.O.O.D the annual gastronomic festival actually runs for nine days,...]]>
Jane Adams shares the inside track on some of her favorite regional food and wine trails in NSW. It’s a curious food fact but the regional New South Wales city of Orange is actually famous for its apples – and a vibrant food and wine culture that culminates every year in F.O.O.D Week (aka Food of Orange District). So bounteous is the Orange regional harvest that F.O.O.D the annual gastronomic festival actually runs for nine days,...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/05/a-taste-of-orange-regional-food-and-wine-trails-in-australia/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/01/photo-of-the-week-coachella/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/01/photo-of-the-week-coachella/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 09:35:43 +0000 Terena Thyne Eisner http://wandermelon.com/?p=22320
It's been a couple of weeks since Coachella, the epic musical fest in the California desert, attracted thousands of fans from around the world to celebrate top talents like Moby and the Red Hot Chili Peppers plus a long list of emerging artists. But we're still feeling just a hint of nostalgia, so we thought we'd share this image  captured during the festival. If you want to keep up to date on next year's line-up,...]]>
It's been a couple of weeks since Coachella, the epic musical fest in the California desert, attracted thousands of fans from around the world to celebrate top talents like Moby and the Red Hot Chili Peppers plus a long list of emerging artists. But we're still feeling just a hint of nostalgia, so we thought we'd share this image  captured during the festival. If you want to keep up to date on next year's line-up,...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/05/01/photo-of-the-week-coachella/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/04/26/fast-and-fabulous-in-vancouver/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/04/26/fast-and-fabulous-in-vancouver/#comments Sat, 27 Apr 2013 05:24:45 +0000 Liz Laing http://wandermelon.com/?p=22366
Three Days In British Columbia’s Eco-Friendly Capital of Cool. Savvy travelers already knew about Vancouver’s appeal long before the 2010 Winter Olympics. But since the winter games, the city’s cachet has gone truly global. With something for nature lovers and urbanites alike, the city is ideally situated between the mountains and the sea, surrounded by water and natural beauty but also brimming with sophisticated dining and shopping options. Then consider the fact Vancouver sets the standard...]]>
Three Days In British Columbia’s Eco-Friendly Capital of Cool. Savvy travelers already knew about Vancouver’s appeal long before the 2010 Winter Olympics. But since the winter games, the city’s cachet has gone truly global. With something for nature lovers and urbanites alike, the city is ideally situated between the mountains and the sea, surrounded by water and natural beauty but also brimming with sophisticated dining and shopping options. Then consider the fact Vancouver sets the standard...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/04/26/fast-and-fabulous-in-vancouver/feed/ 0 http://wandermelon.com/2013/04/18/tooth-or-dare-great-white-shark-dive-guadalupe-mexico/ http://wandermelon.com/2013/04/18/tooth-or-dare-great-white-shark-dive-guadalupe-mexico/#comments Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:45:07 +0000 Kinga Philipps http://wandermelon.com/?p=22334
“Whhhiiitttteeeee Shark!” Two words most people hope to never hear for fear they might be their last. Certainly not two words that ever become background noise. But when you venture by boat 150 miles off the coast of Mexico to Guadalupe Island, a geological wonder, a biosphere reserve and one of the worlds premier sites to cage dive with great white sharks…things are a bit different. Over the three days we anchored off Guadalupe that...]]>
“Whhhiiitttteeeee Shark!” Two words most people hope to never hear for fear they might be their last. Certainly not two words that ever become background noise. But when you venture by boat 150 miles off the coast of Mexico to Guadalupe Island, a geological wonder, a biosphere reserve and one of the worlds premier sites to cage dive with great white sharks…things are a bit different. Over the three days we anchored off Guadalupe that...]]> http://wandermelon.com/2013/04/18/tooth-or-dare-great-white-shark-dive-guadalupe-mexico/feed/ 1